It’s really happening: Japan is getting Marines. Corey Wallace at Sigma1 summarizes from a Asahi article that hasn’t made it into English yet. According to an Asahi Shimbun article here (jp), the MoD plan to convert a GSDF infantry regiment into a US-style amphibious unit is proceeding. Given the rapid modernization of Chinese defense forces,...

I haven’t read the report prepared by The Council for National Security and Defense Buildup in the New Era–although the Japanese version has highlights in English, I don’t think a fully translated version exists yet. In the meantime, enjoy the following commentary from related blogs on JSW‘s blogroll: * Corey Wallace at Sigma1, “Japan as...

Via Alert 5. A Japanese F-2B twin-seat fighter suffered damaged to its center-line fuel tank and left wing when its landing gear retracted while taxiing to park at Matsushima AFB on Aug. 24. (Link) Picture above. (Link) This is the second landing gear-related accident in a year for the ASDF. Earlier this year a F-15...

Japan has four spy satellites in orbit. The satellites, commissioned to keep track of North Korea’s missile program, were launched in the mid to late 2000s. Three of the satellites are optical satellites. Japan’s only synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, No. 2, has apparently lost power. According to the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center, the No....

Thomas at Blirg (the blog about international relations) wrote in to share an article he wrote about Japan’s strategic relevance. You’ll find it here. Other suggestions? Email me at kyle dot mizokami at gmail dot com. Thanks!

I’ll be guest editing at War Is Boring starting next week, and posting here might slow down a bit. David Axe is going to the Congo for six weeks, and someone has to keep WIB going in case he comes back. As for Mr. Axe, he’s got a new book out, give it a read....

I believe this is the sixth rotation of ships to the anti-piracy mission. A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer left the Sasebo base in Nagasaki Prefecture on Thursday for antipiracy operations off Somalia under a law authorizing MSDF warships to escort commercial vessels sailing under any flag. The 4,650-ton Makinami will link up with the 3,550-ton MSDF...

The Keidanren, Japan’s largest business lobby, argues that Japan’s arms ban is bad for the country. Japan will be left behind as a “closed nation” in military technology because the ban prevents companies from joining international weapons projects, such as Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 Joint Striker Fighter, said Keiichiro Iwasaki, a member of the defense...

Two MSDF officers on duty when the Aegis destroyer Atago collided with a fishing board pled not guilty in court in a court in Yokohama to the charges of “professional negligence leading to death” and “professional negligence leading to endangering traffic.” The accident, which took place in 2008 off the coast of Japan, resulted in...